


What Could Be Worse? Marvel Edition

by sapface



Series: What Could Be Worse? [2]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Gangs, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Mercenaries, Multi, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Reincarnation, Schizophrenia, Sexual Content, Smut, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:41:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28334028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapface/pseuds/sapface
Summary: Madeleine "Harper" Kingsley is dead. So why did she wake up?
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Logan (X-Men)/Original Character(s), Logan (X-Men)/Original Female Character(s), Logan/Original Character/Wade Wilson, Natasha Romanov/Original Character(s), Natasha Romanov/Original Female Character(s), OC/OC, Pietro Maximoff/Original Character(s), Pietro Maximoff/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Wade Wilson/Original Character(s), Wade Wilson/Original Female Character(s), Wolverine/Original Female Character(s) - Relationship
Series: What Could Be Worse? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074983
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	1. Wake Me Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings except for childbirth, but it's not too graphic.

_( Harper's Thoughts)_

February 13, 1900 - London

Mary Kingsley was having a hard time. 

She had been in labor for the last seven hours, and she was long ready for the babe to come out. She took in rhythmic breaths like the midwife told her to, but it didn’t seem to help. 

“I see the head crowning!” cried the midwife, and Mary nearly sang in relief. “Now push!” 

She did, and it felt like her body was being ripped in half. If she managed to survive this, she was _never_ letting Jonathan impregnate her again. She’d never felt so much pain in her life. 

“One more push!” 

She pushed, and the babe slid out. It wasn’t until it was completely out that it started to wail. Mary perked up at the sound, her instincts telling her to find the source of the sound and hold it close to her. 

The babe was cleaned before being presented to Mary. “Congratulations! It’s a girl!” Mary frowned. Jonathan wouldn’t be pleased with the fact that his first born wasn’t a son, but Mary was insistent that she would never have another child. 

Mary looked down at the babe in her arms, already thinking of a name for her. 

“Madeleine.”

-X-

Harper didn’t know what was happening. One moment, she was literally being murdered, next, she was in the dark. 

Literally, it was so dark.

It was also wet and impossibly warm. She felt snug as if she’d been stuffed into a beanbag chair. She tried opening her eyes, but all she could see was darkness. 

_(_ _What the hell?)_

She wanted to shout, but her vocal cords weren’t working. She couldn’t form actual words, which made her panic. She flailed around, kicking at a soft barrier. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to go home. She didn’t want to be trapped in here alone with her thoughts. 

Her prison swayed, and as much as she hated to admit it, it soothed her. Her eyes drooped, and she was falling asleep within a few seconds. 

-X-

Her prison contracted on her. It squeezed her body, and she hated it. It was bad enough that she was stuck in here, but now she was being squeezed to death? Fuck that. 

Her body slowly moved downward, and she was _so_ unsettled. She was being squeezed through a ridiculously small hole when she felt how _cold_ it was outside of her prison. 

_(_ _Never mind. I’d like to go back, please.)_

But nothing could stop this. 

Harper’s body eventually squeezed through the hole, and it was so much colder than before. She began to protest, but words didn’t come out. Instead, she screamed. She opened her eyes, and it was impossibly bright. The contrast between the light and dark was too much for her to bear, and she cried even more. She shut her eyes tight. 

“Congratulations! It’s a girl!” 

Sorry. What? 

Was she just born?

_(_ _What the actual fuck?!)_

It made sense now that she looked back on it, but yet again, it made no sense. She distinctly remembered dying against that godforsaken mirror Benny forced her against, but now she was being born? It made no sense. How did she get here...inside of a literal, grown woman? Had she been reincarnated? Was that even possible?

Thinking about it was making her head hurt. 

Harper felt hands all over her, and she squirmed. She didn’t want people touching her right now in the middle of her midlife crisis. Well, technically it was an early life crisis and not a midlife crisis. 

_(S_ _hut the fuck up._ _)_

Harper finally stopped freaking out as she was tightly swaddled in a very soft blanket. She was passed along to her new mother, and she tried to look up at her, but all she could see was light. No wonder babies cried so much. This was bullshit. Would she get a new name? Did she have a new body? A new face? Was her skin a different color? What color hair did she have? 

“Madeleine,” her brand-new-mother-that-she-didn’t-know-the-name-of said, breaking Harper's chain of thoughts. “I think I’ll call you Madeleine.” 

_(I_ _t’s the fucking exact same as before, isn’t it?)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, I decided to indulge myself and start posting this fic that I'd been kind of messing around with for a few years now. If it isn't obvious, I'm an American attempting to write an English character, so feel free to shout out if I get something wrong. Or don't.


	2. Growing Up Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: murder, racial slurs, lynching

_( Harper's Thoughts)_

Growing up had been a strange experience, but the second time had been somehow both better and worse. It was better because you already knew what you needed to learn, and you also already knew how to do it. You just had to wait until your body grew strong enough to actually do it. It was also worse because you already _had_ all of this knowledge, so relearning everything was positively dull. 

Harper had been able to read the moment she could reach up to see the actual writing. Of course, she had to make sure that it didn't look like she was reading, otherwise that would've made her parents suspicious. 

Speaking of her parents, she wasn't sure about them. It had been a major culture shock when her mother had handed her off to a wet nurse to feed instead of feeding the baby herself. She really did like the wet nurse, Minnie Harris was her name. Minnie was also her nanny. She took care of Harper while her mother was off doing who-knows-what. Her father was a banker, and he was a very stern man. He rarely had any time for Harper, and when he did, he was very stiff with her. If she had been an actual child, she wouldn't have noticed, but Harper wasn't a child. (Not mentally, anyways.) 

If Harper had been a child, she would've begged for her father's attention and done anything to get it, but Harper didn't really care. She figured that if he wasn't going to love and treat her as his one and only child, then why bother loving him? Instead, she liked to push his buttons. The smallest of things set him off, and it amused her greatly. Minnie had taught her to act like a lady, but Harper never really considered herself to be one, and she wasn't afraid to show it. She never wore stockings if she could get away with it. She never sat with her legs together. She climbed trees and tore her skirts. Her sharp tongue dished out insults left and right, and she swore. 

Her father absolutely  _ loathed _ it when she swore. 

She never said the really bad swears, though. Mostly just words like damn and hell. One of these days, she was going to tell her father to go fuck himself, and she would laugh at the look on his face. 

Harper was able to get away with practically everything because she was considered to be a genius. She never struggled with the schoolwork Minnie gave her, and she never needed help with the work. Harper wasn't sure if this pleased her father or infuriated him.

Something about this place troubled her, though. In this universe, as she had started to call it because it was clear that it wasn't the same as her previous home, people acquired marks on their skin. These marks were words that were supposedly the first thing your soulmate said to you. Harper had never heard of anything like that, so it had completely bemused her. 

"Soulmates are real?" she had asked Minnie when she was five, her tone disbelieving. "That can't be real." 

Minnie had looked at her with amusement twinkling in her brown eyes. "They're very real, Miss Kingsley." She pulled the sleeve of her dress up to expose the words written on her wrist. "This is how I met my Edward," Minnie had said with such love and longing in her tone, that Harper could hardly believe it. She looked at the words tattooed onto the woman's skin in beautiful cursive.

"Good evening, madam. May I walk you home?" Harper read aloud.

Minnie chuckled. "He was such a gentleman," she sighed wistfully. Harper felt extremely uncomfortable with the concept of soulmates. She assumed that she would never have one because she didn't deserve one. Why else would she have been brutally raped and murdered in her previous life? She winced at the memory, not wanting to visit that at the moment. 

"Well, I don't have one of those, so I won't have one," Harper insisted. 

"You do have a soulmark, my dear," Minnie said. "You've had one since you were born. I should know." 

Harper's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You have a mark on the back of your right leg." Harper started lifting her skirts to look at it, but Minnie stopped her with a gentle hand on her wrist. "You might want to wait until your bath to look at it. It's in an indecent place." Minnie chuckled - at what, Harper had no clue. "I never told your parents about it. I believe they wouldn't approve of the...way your soulmate will greet you."

Later that night, Harper had looked at it in the mirror, and she had gave a short bark of laughter. Minnie had been right; it was in an indecent spot. On the back of her upper thigh, right under where her ass curved. The words said, "I'm not used to seeing a woman who doesn't take any bullshit from anyone. It's refreshing." 

Harper reached back and touched the mark, wondering how she had never noticed it before. She felt the mark heat up, the warmth comforting her. She could feel that warmth flow through her body. 

_ ( Maybe this soulmate thing won't be so bad after all. ) _

-X-

Late August 1915

Harper no longer worried about her soulmate. She still wasn't completely sure if it was even a real thing, so she decided that it wasn't worth losing sleep over. If it would happen, then great, if not, oh well. 

Her father was growing angrier with her each day. He was trying to find a suitor for her to marry and have ten children with, but she was making it increasingly difficult. She often insulted the men who tried to woo her. She even spit on one of them in the face. Mr. Lawrence was his name, if she remembered correctly. He shouldn’t have assumed that she wanted to look at him let alone marry him. 

Jonathan Kingsley was frustrated. 

Harper couldn’t give a damn. 

She was busy thinking about Christopher Harris. He was Minnie’s son, and he was  _ so _ cute. He was older than her by three years, and did she mention that he was cute? 

She’d forgotten how hormonal teenagers were, and she was at the mercy of them yet again. 

This was bullshit. 

She was having a problem, though. Christopher Harris was a gentleman, but he was in the lower class and also black. Personally, Harper didn’t care about either of those things, but her father would’ve thrown a fit. 

So she was seeing him in secret. 

Every other night for the last three months, they would sneak out and meet in various locations where no one would bother them. 

She woke up that morning feeling nauseous, and she desperately didn’t want to get out of bed. She brought the blankets over her head and groaned. Perhaps if she stayed perfectly still, no one would notice her existence. 

“Good morning, Miss Kingsley!” 

Harper froze. She even stopped breathing in hopes of making the woman leave. 

“I know you’re awake, missy.” The blankets were suddenly torn from her body, and Harper whined. 

“Fuck off, Minnie. I’m not in the mood,” she grumbled, burying her face into the pillow. 

“You watch your tongue, miss, or I’ll put soap on it,” Minnie warned, fixing a stern eye on her. “Besides, it’s a beautiful day. It’ll be a nice day for a walk with a handsome suitor. Who knows? It might just be your soulmate.”

Harper scoffed at that. “I severely doubt it. My father’s selections never have any sense of humor.” She begrudgingly sat up, blinking blearily. “Do I really have to go?”

“I’m afraid your father insists, miss.”

“Damn. All right. I’m getting up,” Harper said. 

“Good. Would you like me to help you dress, or would you rather do so on your own?”

“On my own, please.”

“Very well,” Minnie said with a nod. “I’ve already set out your clothes for the day on the divider. Don’t be late for breakfast.”

Harper watched her leave the bedroom before drooping. Her face fell even more, and she fell back onto the bed with a flop. 

She had felt off for weeks, and she had felt nauseous at random intervals throughout the day. The fact that she was also exhausted all of the time didn’t help matters. She’d have to stop seeing Christopher so often, otherwise she’d tire herself to death. 

She forced herself out of bed, gracelessly rolling off of it. She barely managed to get her feet under her to catch herself, but she managed it. She stood up and stretched her arms above her head as she headed to the dividing curtain in the corner of the room. She glanced down at the clothes Minnie had left out for her. 

“I can’t wait for these giant hats to go out of style,” Harper muttered to herself. 

Since the war started, corsets had gone out of style, which Harper was infinitely grateful for. She hated wearing them and always would. Straight, loose skirts were in style now, and there were less eye-catching colors. She tucked the shirt into her skirt, looking in the mirror to make sure they weren’t wrinkled. She caught sight of the scar along her throat and paused. Everyone had assumed that it was a strange birthmark, but Harper knew better.

She hated seeing it. It was ugly and red. It looked like she’d only gotten it a few weeks ago instead of over a decade. Benny clearly didn’t know what he was doing when he cut her throat in her last life. She willed the thoughts away, not wanting to have another flashback. 

She pulled the shirt up a little more to cover the scar. 

There was no need for her to get emotional today, thank you very much. 

-X-

Harper sat across from yet another suitor her father had chosen for her. 

“You’ll like this one, Madeleine, I’m sure of it,” her father had promised her with a wink. 

_ ( _ _ I think I hate this one the most. _ _ ) _

“-and the principle is not about whether or not the young woman is actually fit for childbirth. Oh no. The principle is about whether the  _ father _ is fit for the young woman’s hysteria.” 

_ ( _ _ Holy. Fucking. Shit. _ _ ) _

Harper hummed noncommittally. She drank a sip of tea, her eyes glaring daggers into the man. Not that he noticed, of course. 

She tuned him out, her thoughts drifting back to Christopher. She liked him a lot, but she wasn’t sure how much longer their fling could last. The longer it went on, the more likely they were to get caught. She didn’t trust her father not to do something drastic if he found out. 

A wave of nausea rolled over her again, but this one was much stronger than the one from this morning. She set the tea cup down and looked back at the man across from her. 

“You’ll have to excuse me,” she said, quickly standing and power walking away. 

She made it to the edge of the garden before she dropped to her knees and started to vomit into the rose bush. A concert of really gross noises met her ears, and she shuddered. She continued to heave until nothing came up. 

Harper looked back over her shoulder at the man who had been her lunch date. He stared at her with abject horror written all over his face. 

“Suppose you wouldn’t want a rain check?” 

He abruptly stood up from the table and left. Harper sighed, letting her head drop. 

“Good. He was a prick, anyways,” she muttered, spitting toward the mess she made. 

-X-

Harper was back in bed, her blankets covering her head again. Minnie sighed as she sat next to her on the edge of the bed. 

“You don’t have a fever,” she said. “And you don’t look pale or flushed. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with you.”

Harper removed the blankets from her face. “How can that be? I literally vomited, and I’ve been exhausted, and my body aches-” She paused as a thought occurred to her. 

Minnie looked at her strangely. “Miss?”

“Shh,” Harper said, rather rudely. 

The symptoms were starting to add up, and she did not like what she was starting to suspect. She made some quick calculations in her head, recounting the last few weeks. 

“Oh god,” she whispered, her eyes wide as a realization hit her. “Oh  _ fuck _ .”

“Miss, what did I say about the language?”

“No offense, Minnie, but I am more entitled to swear right now than ever before,” Harper replied, her breath coming too fast. “What am I gonna do?” She brought her hands to her eyes. 

“Miss, calm down. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Harper removed her hands from her face. She took in a deep breath and looked at Minnie. “I think I’m pregnant,” she whispered. 

Minnie’s eyes widened for a moment. “Who’s the father?”

Harper swallowed thickly. “Christopher,” she answered. “Minnie, your son is the father of my child.” Minnie didn’t respond; she just stared at her. Harper began to panic. “Your family needs to leave. If my father finds out-” 

She broke off, her breath starting to come in quick pants. She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus. She had other people to worry about besides herself now. This woman’s family was in danger because of her. She opened her eyes again. 

“Minnie. You need to take your family and leave here. Especially Christopher. If my father finds out that he’s the father...it won’t end well.” She reached forward and took Minnie’s hands in her own. “Minnie. I’m begging you. Please go. For your family’s safety.”

Minnie nodded, seemingly stunned. “I will. I promise.”

-X-

Harper should’ve realized that a warning wouldn’t have been nearly enough. She didn’t know how her father found out, but he did nonetheless. 

She had been speaking with Christopher. 

“Come with me,” he whispered. “We can get married and raise this baby together. You can run away before your father finds out.”

Harper desperately wanted to go with him. She could nearly imagine it, but it somehow felt wrong. Something was pulling her away from Christopher. She remembered the mark on the back of her leg and sighed. 

“I can’t go with you, Christopher,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “I want to, but I can’t.”

He seemed to realize that she wasn’t going to change her mind. He sighed, a hand rubbing down his face. “Very well.” He pulled Harper into a hug, and she melted into his embrace. “I love you,” he whispered into her ear. She didn't know how to respond to that. She didn't feel the same. She truly liked him, but she didn't _love_ him.

“I-”

“Madeleine!” 

Harper felt herself freeze as she recognized her father’s voice from across the property. She let go of Christopher and pushed herself away from him. “Go. Please.”

She watched him disappear in the brush before she turned and went back to the manor. She saw her father standing outside the door, his mouth pulled into a frown. 

“Yes, father?” she said, lifting an eyebrow as if nothing was wrong. 

“Come inside, girl. You and I have an important discussion to face,” her father commanded before heading inside. She forced her face into one of neutrality before following him into his study. “Do you know why I’ve asked you here, Madeleine?” he asked once he was sitting behind his desk. 

“No, sir.”

“A rumor has been floating around that you are...with child. Is this true?”

Harper stared back at him with a blank expression on her face. “Yes,” she said, her voice devoid of any emotion. “It is true.”

She watched him sigh, taking his glasses off and rubbing his temples. “Who’s child is in your womb?” 

Harper stayed silent, staring at her father in stubborn defiance. “I won’t tell you,” she said, her eyes hard. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

A mean smile grew on her father’s face, and dread pooled in her stomach. “You mean the Harris boy you were just with?” She didn’t know how to respond. How had he known? “I’ve known about your affair for weeks, and I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. Now you have to listen to me. Take a look outside.”

She stared at him, but his face gave nothing away. She hesitated before she went to the window, and she was horrified at what she saw. 

Christopher Harris and his family were hanging from the trees right outside the window. They'd been lynched. She covered her mouth as tears stung her eyes. She shook her head as tears streamed down her face. 

“Oh god,” she cried. “What have you done?!” 

Her father stood and came around to her by the window. “What needed to be done,” he replied without a hint of remorse for the lives he just took. And it was all because the boy had darker skin. This man in front of her disgusted her. “Now, you will be going to a doctor tomorrow to have that  _ thing _ removed, and then you are going to accept Mr. Lawrence’s marriage proposal. He and I have already struck up a deal to exchange land for-”

“No.” 

“I beg your pardon?” 

Harper looked up at him with such contempt in her eyes that it shocked him. “I said. _No_.” She stood taller as she glared at him. “You really must be insane to think that I would  _ ever _ want to do anything you say after  _ what you just did _ .” She took a step closer to him, looking like a predator cornering its prey. He took a step back. “I refuse. You are deplorable, and I never want to see your face again. I’m leaving.”

She turned to leave. 

“All of this for a nigger? How pathetic.”

She snapped. 

She turned back on him and slammed him into the wall. She didn’t notice the crack in the wall she had made. Her forearm met his throat, and she bared her teeth at him. 

“He was twice the man you’ll ever be,” she growled, pressing further against his windpipe. She was so furious that she didn’t notice that she was choking him. “You racist fucking piece of shit! I knew there was a reason I never liked you. I am going to keep this child, and they’re going to keep the Kingsley name just so you can roll in your grave. Then we’ll come visit so we can dance on it.” 

She had been so wrapped up in her rage that she didn’t realize that Jonathan Kingsley was dead until it was too late. She released her father, only for his body to slide down the wall to the floor. She stared at him, unsure of what had just happened. She reached forward and shoved his shoulder, but he didn’t respond. 

“What the hell?” she muttered. 

She didn’t realize that she had been pressing that hard against his neck. She lifted his head and saw the dark spots already starting to bruise, which shouldn’t have happened. Her fingers moved to his pulse, finding nothing. 

“Oh  _ shit _ .” 

_ ( _ _ I just murdered my father. _ _ ) _

Harper didn’t know what to do. She’d never killed anyone before. 

She started to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this ended up a bit different than I had planned. Anyways, I really enjoyed writing this and hope you enjoy it too!


	3. New York, New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: murder, gore  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_( Harper's Thoughts)_

**_(Harper's Hallucination)_ **

September 8, 1915

Harper glared down at the water. She had only been on the boat for two weeks, and she was ready to get off of it. If her calculations were correct, she was roughly six weeks pregnant, so she hadn’t started to show yet. She was experiencing mood swings, and quite frankly, it was exhausting her. Whenever she wasn’t feeling grumpy, she was freaking out about how she was going to take care of a small human being. 

The night she had killed her father, she also took all of the money he had hidden in his safe that he thought no one knew about. It hadn’t been too much trouble cracking the code, and she didn’t feel guilty about taking a small portion of her family fortune. Her mother would be able to take care of herself. She did anyway. Everyone knew that she’d been having an affair for years.

Harper had only been able to pack a small bag full of the money she’d taken, her travel papers and some clothing. Everything else, she had abandoned. Including the bodies. 

She winced at the thought, wanting to get away from it, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. The image of those bodies swinging from the trees burned themselves into her brain. She saw them everywhere, even when she closed her eyes. 

Something else had bothered her about that night. 

When she killed her father, she had slammed him against the wall. She hadn’t noticed the crack she made until after her laughing fit. She didn’t know where she’d gotten the strength to do that. He hadn’t even fought against her because her strength was that potent. As curious as she was, she didn’t dare to test it out. The last thing she needed was to make a whole fucking boat sink. 

She closed her eyes against the breeze, and Christopher’s dead face filled her vision. She couldn’t stand to look at him, but she had no other choice. 

**_(You deserve it.)_ **

Harper froze upon hearing the voice. She turned around to find who said that to her, but she didn’t see anyone. That was weird. The voice had been crystal clear, but it had definitely not been hers. Was someone fucking with her? 

“Anyone there?” she asked warily. No reply came, so she turned back to the water, but the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She felt like someone was watching her. 

_( Why would someone be watching me? Don't be fucking stupid.)_

She was probably thinking too much into it. 

-X-

October 5, 1915

Harper was losing her mind. She was fairly certain of it. 

She continued to hear that voice more and more, and everyone was watching her. She didn’t actually know if they were watching her, but she felt like they were, so they must have been. She paced back and forth in her tiny cabin, contemplating how she was going to survive this much longer. 

The voyage was, thankfully, going to end soon - tomorrow. One more night, and she would be on solid land. Then she’d be free. 

**_(Don’t be so sure of that, darling. You’ll never be free after what you did.)_ **

“It was an accident,” she whispered, talking about her father’s death. “I just slipped.”

**_(You lost control. It’s okay. It happens to the best of us... But you’re really the worst of us, aren’t you?)_ **

She didn’t even know what that meant, not really. She clenched her hands into fists, not noticing her fingernails digging into her palms. “Shut up,” she hissed. “I’m sick of you saying all of this shit to me.” 

**_(Aww. Boo fucking hoo. Well, guess what, darling? You’re never getting rid of me. I’m part of you, now. I’ve been here this whole time. And ever since you killed your father, I’ve been set free.)_ **

“Jesus Christ. Can you sound anymore like a two-bit Bond villain?” Harper snapped. 

**_(I could…)_ **

She slammed her head against the wall in hopes that it would shut the voice up. Her world spun for a moment, and she fell onto the bed. She lay there for what felt like hours and heard nothing. She opened her eyes, not having realized she’d closed them in the first place. 

_( Oh damn.)_

She just noticed the huge dent she’d made in the metal wall when she’d shoved her head against it like an idiot. She reached up to feel the dent as if it wasn’t real enough. She’d actually done that. 

Harper opened her hands, realizing that she’d had them clenched for a while. She looked down at her palms and saw blood on them. She must’ve dug her nails into her palms too hard. She looked closer and noticed that there were no wounds, though. They had healed already. 

“This is the weirdest goddamn day…” 

-X-

October 6, 1915

Harper didn’t get much sleep that night. She was too busy worrying about being a super freak. Was this universe part of a superhero thing? Like Marvel and DC? Were they connected? Oh god, was she going to meet the Joker? She certainly hoped not. 

It seemed like she had super strength and...super healing? That sounded lame as hell, if she was being honest. She didn’t know what triggered these abilities. She must’ve had the gene for them, but they only activated in a time of stress. She still wasn’t completely sure about them, though. She didn’t get the chance to test them out, and she wasn’t planning on doing it while she was still pregnant. 

Her hand went to her belly at the thought of her pregnancy. She should be about ten weeks pregnant, so she still hadn’t shown, but she was close. 

She found herself on deck with the other passengers. They watched as the shore slowly came into view - the most eye catching piece of architecture being the Statue of Liberty. Harper had never seen it before, so it was rather daunting to be so close to it. Perhaps she’d go up in it in the future. 

She ignored the excited murmuring around her from other immigrants looking for freedom in the United States of America. She thought of the hoops she’d have to go through in the immigration office. As long as she had her baby here, then everything would be okay. It would mean that her baby would be a citizen of this country. 

Once the boat was docked, she walked down the gangway with her single bag. Other bodies bumped into her, but she didn’t mind. She did keep a tighter grip on her bag, however. All of her belongings were in this bag, after all. 

-X-

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. 

Harper looked around at the tenement she was now going to live in, taking in all of the stuff that belonged to her new roommates. It was overcrowded, and she knew that this was going to take some time to adjust. She only hoped that these people weren’t batshit insane. 

-X-

October 30, 1915

It turns out that she didn’t need to worry. The young couple she was living with were positively lovely. Sarah Rogers was a kind woman with a big heart, and her husband, Joseph, was head over heels in love with her. They were soulmates originally from Ireland, which is where they met. The other family had five members: a husband, a wife, two sons and one daughter. They were the Peterson's. 

The surname Rogers seemed familiar to Harper, but she couldn’t remember for the life of her why it was familiar. 

_( Whatever. I'll figure it out soon enough.)_

Harper was struggling to find a job. No one was willing to hire her for long, and the pay was complete shit. She went from door to door, looking for work, but she rarely found any. At this point, she was almost considering going into prostitution. Sure, people would look down on her for it, but at least she wouldn’t be starving. 

Speaking of starving, Harper didn’t have to eat as much anymore. Well, she should, but she could survive without food for a couple of days before she felt sick. It wasn’t the best thing to do, especially with a baby on the way, but she didn’t have much of a choice. The money she brought was running low, and she didn’t want to use it all. 

Today she was looking for work again. She was once again rejected, and she headed for the street. She heard hushed voices down an alleyway as she passed it. Normally, she would avoid the alleys like the plague, but she managed to hear something that caught her attention. 

“Yeah, Joe the Greaser is looking for new recruits. Ever since Pinchy took out his last crew, he’s been gunning for his head.” 

Harper stopped in her tracks and backed up against the wall. She leaned back against it, acting like she was relaxing instead of listening in on this conversation. 

“Friggin’ Pinchy. I hate that guy,” said a different man. 

“Yeah, who doesn’t? Now hush. They’re meeting tonight down at Pier 12. Y’know, the crappy warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Pier 12? That’s where our headquarters is.” 

_( Bloody hell. No wonder Pinchy got the slip on this bloke. With his men blabbing about their secret location, I'm surprised it hasn't been burned to the ground.)_

“Yeah, I know of it,” the other man replied. There was a moment of silence. “Do you really think I could join Greaser’s gang?”

“I don’t see why not, my friend,” the first man said. “Joe the Greaser is getting pretty desperate to take out Pinchy, so yeah. He’ll take you, I’m sure. Be there at nine o’clock sharp.”

Harper didn’t bother to listen to the rest of the conversation. She pushed herself off of the wall and went back the way she had come. 

She needed to get her map at home. 

-X-

She checked the street signs to make sure she was at the right place. She made sure to come an hour early to avoid anyone seeing her. The warehouse looked like shit, but she figured that was intentional - to keep people away. It looked deserted, but looks were deceiving. 

She walked right up to the building, acting like she owned the place. She walked in, her nerves high strung, but she tried to hide it. She stopped when she noticed the men throughout the large room. 

There were two ways she could go about this. One: she could feign being lost and ask for directions to the nearest movie theater. Two: she could just wing it and demand to speak with Joe the Greaser.

She went with the latter option. 

She squared her shoulders and set a sharp eye on everyone she could see, meeting their eyes. “I’m here to see your boss,” she said. 

One of the men closest to her grew brave. “You sure you ain’t lost, lady?” 

Her gaze moved to him, her eyes sharp as her lips pulled into a mean smile. “Yes, I’m sure,” she replied. “See, I have a business proposition for him, and I’d rather not propose it with an audience. If you can catch my drift.” 

A stupid-looking grin spread on the man’s face. “Oh, I get your drift,” he said, looking her up and down like a piece of meat. 

_( If I didn't need to get in here, I would fucking punch him.)_

Harper chuckled instead. The man nodded toward the stairs leading to the balcony, where there was a door and a set of windows. 

“The boss’s office is up there.” 

Harper looked back at the man in front of her, forcing a graceful smile onto her face. “Thank you kindly,” she said before heading toward the stairs. She felt their eyes on her figure, but she ignored them. She wasn’t about to let a bunch of idiots intimidate her. 

She reached the door and knocked. 

“Yes?” 

She opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “Good evening, Mr. Rosenzweig,” she greeted, folding her hands in front of her. 

The man looked up at her, sharp blue eyes burning into her. “Who let you in here?” he demanded, his voice thick with a Romanian accent. 

“I did,” Harper replied, stepping further into the office. “You really should review your security, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you out of here myself.” 

“I want to join your crew,” Harper said. “I believe working with you will allow me to grow.”

Rosenzweig barked out a laugh. “Are you serious?” 

“I’m dead serious.” Harper kept her face carefully blank as she watched him laugh. “I’m willing to do anything to prove to you that I can handle this job.” 

Rosenzweig managed to calm himself down a little. He pressed a hand to his chest. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you a chance since you gave me a good laugh,” he said between chuckles. “You bring me back the head of Philip “Pinchy” Paul, and you got yourself a deal.” It was clear that he didn’t expect her to do that whatsoever, but Harper wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. 

“Deal,” Harper said, sticking a hand in his face for him to shake. “I’m a woman of my word, Mr. Rosenzweig, and I expect you to keep yours.” He seemed to hesitate at how serious she seemed, but he wasn’t a man to back down from a challenge either. He took her hand, and he was surprised at how firm her grip was. She let go after a few seconds. “I’ll return in twenty-four hours. Good evening.” 

With that, she turned and headed out of the office. 

She had work to do. 

-X-

October 31, 1915

Harper stayed up until the early hours of the morning, planning and reading anything she could about “Pinchy” Paul. He was Joe “the Greaser” Rosenzweig’s current biggest competitor (only inferior to “Dopey” Benny Fein). They were currently fighting in the Labor Slugger War. So far there had been a few gunfights, but nothing to sway the favor onto either side. 

If Harper had any say in it, that would change. 

She located Pinchy after marking areas on her map where he’d been spotted according to Rosenzweig’s gang. His base was above the Rivington Street movie theater, so she knew where he was, but now she needed to know how she was going to get in. She supposed that she could just walk in like she had done at Rosenzweig’s as if she was going to see a film and then sneak out and up the stairs. She’d have to find a weapon, probably a gun. She never shot a gun before. 

_( We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.) _

She knew a weapons racketeer she’d stumbled on when she was doing housework for his wife, so she could probably get a gun from him. She could use the money she still had, if she needed to. 

The real question was whether she was willing to murder a man she had never met. 

**_(You killed your father!)_ **

_( That was an accident, and I already knew that he was a flaming hot piece of garbage.) _

**_(Irrelevant!)_ **

_( Eh. Is it?) _

**_(Don’t act like you don’t want to do this. You haven’t been able to stop thinking about that night. You want to take another life. You want to feel the rush again.)_ **

Harper couldn’t deny that she was curious. She wouldn’t have agreed to Rosenzweig’s terms if she hadn’t been curious. Would she really get a rush, or was all of that she'd heard about complete bullshit? 

**_(You’ll find out, darling.)_ **

-X-

Mr. Gregory hadn’t been happy to see her. The weapons racketeer nearly slammed the door in her face before she had been able to say that she was there to purchase a firearm. 

Needless to say, she blanched when he handed her a Thompson submachine gun, better known as a Tommy Gun. She forked over the cash for it. 

“Right. How do I shoot it?” she asked. 

Gregory snorted, but he taught her the mechanisms, anyway. “You’re in way over your head, girl. What do you even plan on doing with that?” 

She gave a grin. “I’m gonna murder a gang leader,” she said with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. 

“Oh…” Gregory’s brow furrowed at that. “Good luck with that.” 

“Thank you.” 

-X-

Harper made sure to wear a skirt that was thick enough to hide the firearm under her clothing. She bought a ticket to see _Temptation_ and sat through a quarter of the film before sneaking out. She didn’t know how this was going to go, but she had no other choice. 

She made sure no one was watching as she searched for the employees only sign on the door at the end of the hall. She ignored the sign’s warning and went through, coming face to face with a staircase. She reached up under her skirt and pulled the gun out, holding it like Mr. Gregory told her to. She double checked that there was enough ammo before heading up the stairs. 

She made no sound as she moved, keeping an ear out for any sounds, but she didn’t hear anything. It would be just her luck that no one would be here. 

“What do you mean you don’t like bologna? It’s the god of meat.” 

Harper’s brow furrowed at that odd statement. 

“I don’t like the bits in it.” 

“The bits are the best part!” 

Harper figured out that their voices were coming from the right side of the staircase. She paused at the top, taking a deep breath as she steadied her nerves. She opened her eyes again and stepped up onto the floor. 

“What the-”

“Hello boys,” she said cheerfully as if she was greeting old friends. 

Then she shot them. She pulled the trigger, hardly feeling the kickback. Her body took it well. She shot many times, missing more than a few, until both men fell to the floor either dead or unconscious. It didn’t matter either way. As long as they stayed out of her way. 

“What the hell was that?!” 

A man came out of a door to what appeared to be an office, but no one else came. 

**_(Oh what luck!)_ **

This man was Philip “Pinchy” Paul, she was certain of it. He matched the description she had gotten from one of Rosenzweig’s men the night before. 

“Joe sends his regards,” Harper said before pulling the trigger again. She missed, and he ducked. He ran back into the office and slammed the door shut behind him. She went to the door and slammed on it. “Open up!” 

He obviously didn’t do this. She backed up and kicked the door by the knob. Her enhanced strength made it easy to knock the door down. 

Pinchy was ready for her. He shot her, a bullet flying into her shoulder. She screamed at the burning pain and fell to her knees. She dropped the gun as her hand automatically went to her injured shoulder. 

“Shit!” she hissed. 

Pinchy dropped his guard. “What is this? A little girl coming after me?” he mocked. He moved over to her, gripping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. “You really should’ve known better.” 

**_(Your shoulder’s healed. Take a look, buttercup.)_ **

Sure enough, Harper could no longer feel the wound. Her fingertips rubbed against her skin through the torn shirt. It was as if it had never been there in the first place. 

“Greaser really thought a _girl_ could kill me?” Pinchy said, a condescending laugh escaping his lips. “My, he really has become desperate, hasn’t he?” 

“You underestimate me. That’ll be your downfall,” Harper said calmly. 

“I think-”

She didn’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. She reached up and wrapped her hand around his wrist. With a squeeze, she crushed the bones. He howled as he let go of her. She shoved him back. Her strength sent him into the desk. It broke upon impact. 

Harper stood. She glanced at her shoulder. There was no wound. She looked back at Pinchy, who cried. 

“That wasn’t very nice,” she said, her voice devoid of any emotion. He looked at her in fear. She grinned. 

-X-

Harper walked back into the warehouse, ignoring the guards trying to stop her. She whistled under her breath as she marched up the staircase to the office she had been in not even twenty four hours ago.

She didn’t knock as she opened the door, startling Rosenzweig. 

She smirked and placed the bag seeping with blood on his mahogany desk. Rosenzweig looked up at the smirking woman curiously as he tentatively reached for the bag and opened it. His face paled for a moment before he regained his composure.

Inside the bag was the severed head of Philip “Pinchy” Paul. The part where his neck used to meet his torso was torn crudely as if his head had literally been torn from his body. Little did Rosenzweig know, that was exactly what had happened. 

Harper pulled a file out of her coat and dropped it onto the desk as well. “Those are his gang’s plans for the next week.” She smirked at the stunned look on his face as she sat in the chair in front of his desk. “Are you blown away yet? Or do I have to do something even more drastic?” 

Rosenzweig leafed through the file. He looked up at her with wide eyes.

“How-how did you-?”

“It was rather easy, actually,” Harper said, a slippery smile pulling on her lips. “Men don’t suspect women to be murderers.” She leaned back in her seat, looking like the cat that got the canary. “I want thirty dollars a week. In exchange, I will provide my services. Anyone you want killed or taught a lesson, I will happily take care of.” 

**_(You’re asking for too much. He’ll never go for it.)_ **

“Deal.”

**_(Well, shit.)_ **

Harper’s smile turned less sharp and more pleased. “Excellent. When would you like me to start?” 

“Tomorrow night. Be here at eight.” Rosenzweig paused. “I don’t believe I caught your name, miss…” 

“Call me Mary,” Harper said, giving him a false name. There was no way she was going to give him her real name.

Rosenzweig seemed to realize that Harper wasn’t going to give him her full name, so he didn’t push it. “Well, Mary...I believe our partnership will be advantageous to both of us.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said with a slippery smile as she stood once again. 

With that, she turned and walked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Harper has schizophrenia. Not every case of schizophrenia is the same, so the symptoms and their effects can vary. I'm not claiming to know firsthand what living with it is like. I'm also not trying to insinuate that schizophrenia makes people violent because that's not necessarily true.  
> Fun fact, a couple of these people were real, particularly the gangsters, but I tweaked the events of the war a bit.


	4. Isn't She Lovely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: description of birth (it's a little more graphic than the one in Chapter 1)

_( Harper's Thoughts)_

**_(Harper's_ ** _Hallucination)_

-X-

April 19, 1916

Harper couldn’t stop peeing for the life of her. 

Her pregnancy was coming along nicely. She was around thirty-six weeks pregnant, so her belly was huge. She felt like a fucking hippo, but Sarah insisted that she was “positively glowing.” Harper had her doubts. 

She still worked for Rosenzweig, but she was officially on maternity leave. She hadn't wanted to leave, though. The man had nearly shoved her out the door and told her to hurry up and have her baby, so his best mercenary could come back. If she didn't have a job when she went back, she was going to flip out. She was getting better at beating the crap out of people, and even on occasion, killing them. Before, her movements had been awkward and clumsy, but now they were less so. She liked to wear brass knuckles during her fights. It amused her to watch the blood splatter. 

That was becoming an issue. Her bloodthirst. 

She didn’t understand where it came from. She’d never been even remotely violent in her last life. 

**_(That’s not true, and you fucking know it.)_ **

_ (What are you talking about?) _

**_(Remember the time you whacked your twin in the head with that cricket bat?)_ **

_ (I didn't hit him _ that _hard._ _)_

**_(He had to go to the hospital. To get stitches.)_ **

Harper winced. Maybe she _had_ hit him pretty hard. She had felt awful when that happened. She hadn’t left his side for days, overflowing with guilt. That wasn’t the same as murdering a person in cold blood, and worse, actually enjoying it, though. 

**_(You’ll get used to it.)_ **

She rolled her eyes. The voice had been bothering her more than usual today. She vaguely wondered if a bullet through her brain would shut it up. 

**_(Only for a little while. And you’ll wake up with a headache.)_ **

_ (Fine. I won't do it even though it's tempting.) _

-X-

May 5, 1916

Harper panicked. It was ten in the morning, and she was in labor. She laid back on the bed with her legs spread. Sharp pains stretched her cervix, and she winced. For the last eight hours, she’d been contracting, and she was exhausted. 

Sarah, the darling, was helping her. Of course, she was just as terrified as Harper was, but she did a good job of hiding it. Sarah had promptly kicked everyone out of the bedroom, which annoyed Mrs. Peterson considerably, who took her family to a friend’s place for the rest of the night. 

Another contraction hit Harper, and she groaned, throwing her head back.

“Sarah!” she whined. “This baby is coming. Now!” 

Sarah rushed over, arms full of blankets. “All right!” She dropped the blankets on the bed and looked between Harper’s legs. “I can see the head! It’s time to push.” Harper nodded, waiting for the right moment. 

She pushed with the next contraction, not knowing what the hell she was doing. She sat up a bit more, leaning back on her hands. She gripped the sheets tight enough to make her knuckles turn white as she screamed. She kept on pushing with the contractions, feeling like she was on fire.

Sarah could see that the baby’s head was completely out, and the baby started to scream. Harper perked up at the sound. That was a good sign. 

“We need to get the shoulders out next,” Sarah told her. “Give another push.” Harper did with the next contraction, but the shoulders didn’t come out yet. “Another!” 

With another push, she felt the shoulders slip through. She sat up and pushed more of the baby out. Sarah assisted with pulling the baby out the rest of the way. 

“It’s a girl!” 

Harper laughed as she let her body plop back against the pillows. She was slick with sweat, but she was overjoyed. She felt liquid between her thighs and looked to see that it was blood. She must’ve torn while pushing. 

“You’re bleeding!” Sarah commented, sounding worried. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Harper said, not even looking at her. She only had eyes for the bundle in her arms. “It’s already healing.”

Sarah handed the freshly wrapped baby to Harper. She held up her daughter carefully, not sure if she was doing it right. She supported her neck, knowing that the poor thing’s head would loll around if she didn’t.

Harper was scared, she wouldn’t lie, but something felt right about holding her baby to her chest. She looked down at the baby’s red, wrinkly face as she started to calm down. The baby stared right back at her with a pair of large, gray eyes. Well, the baby couldn’t actually see her, but that didn’t stop Harper from staring.

Harper felt tears trail down her cheeks. She had her own eyes. The baby’s hair was dark as could be, and there was a lot of it. She had never fallen in love before, but she was now. 

“Hello,” Harper whispered, afraid that she would scare the infant. “I’m sorry, I haven’t picked a name for you, yet. I guess I was afraid of being a mother...” She smiled. “But I’m not anymore.” As much. She gently traced a finger along the infant’s forehead, earning the cutest damn noise she’d ever heard. “Oh, baby girl...you’re Mine, and I’ll always love you...”

-X-

March 10, 1917

Sarah was pregnant. 

She and Joe found out in January, and Sarah was excited and also had baby fever. Harper couldn’t blame her. Sarah found every chance to hold her baby, Elizabeth, Harper decided to call her. Sarah almost loved Elizabeth as much as Harper did. The key word being  _ almost _ . 

Harper soon developed what she called her “Me and Mine” complex. She looked out to protect herself and anyone she considered Hers, and if anyone dared to harm one of Hers...she wouldn’t react well. Sarah fell under this concept to an extent, but Elizabeth held the top position. That little girl had her mother wrapped around her finger. 

The first few months of being a mother had been difficult to get used to. Thankfully, Harper, and even Sarah, had developed a schedule for Elizabeth. She woke up at eight in the morning, had breakfast at nine, napped at eleven, ate lunch at twelve, took another nap at one, played at two, ate dinner at five, and then went to bed at nine. 

Sometimes the schedule would be changed, but not often. Harper was thankful for that. 

Joseph Rogers had been drafted two months ago. Sarah hadn’t been pleased about it, in fact, she’d been downright terrified with the thought of her husband fighting in the war to end all wars. Harper had comforted her after seeing him off, telling her that the two of them could partner up to take care of their babies until Joseph came back. Sarah had cheered up a little bit. 

Two weeks ago she received the news that her husband died. She nearly fell to pieces being so sad, and Harper didn’t know what to do for her. She’d never even met her soulmate let alone lost them, so she had no experience. Hell, she still wasn’t even sure that it was going to happen. She tried her best to comfort Sarah, though. 

It was Elizabeth who had managed to help Sarah the most. 

She curled up in her lap whenever she saw Sarah crying, shedding a few tears with her. Sarah was her second favorite person, after all. She didn’t want to see her sad. 

Harper was going to head back to work next week. She’d leave Elizabeth with Sarah at night, when she was the easiest to handle. Sarah still didn’t know what Harper did for a living, and she was thankful for that. She didn’t want to see the distrust on her face if she found out. She didn’t know if she could handle it. 

Harper gave Elizabeth a bath when she noticed something dark on her forearm. She tried wiping it away, but it stayed. She tried again, and Elizabeth screamed. 

“No!” 

She pulled her arm away from her mother, glaring at her like she did sometimes when something wasn't going her way, the little shit. 

“What is that?” Harper asked. 

“No.” Elizabeth crossed her arms. 

“Can I see it?” Harper had an idea of what it was, but she wanted to double check. 

“No.”

“Oh. Okay,” Harper said. She went back to bathing her instead of arguing with the ten-month-old. She didn’t get to look at it until she was dressing her. 

She was right. It _was_ a soulmark. 

Elizabeth’s soulmate must’ve been born today. 

The words said, “I wasn’t expecting this when I woke up today!”

_ (Holy fucking shit.) _

She didn’t know how to react to this. The whole soulmate business was a strange concept to her, and seeing that it claimed her daughter as well didn’t sit right with her. 

After putting Elizabeth to bed, she sat next to Sarah. 

“I found a mark on her,” Harper said. Sarah’s brow furrowed, so she explained. “Her soulmark.”

Sarah smiled then. “What does it say?” Harper repeated the words, and Sarah chuckled. “That’s exciting! Who would’ve guessed that Lizzie would be a cougar?” Harper had introduced the term to Sarah a while ago. She glared at her. 

“Sarah!” she scolded.

She couldn’t help but laugh with her friend, though. Not when she was actually laughing for the first time in weeks. 

-X-

July 4, 1917

Sarah wailed. This baby was coming, but it was too early. It needed to wait another month. Could she convince the baby to stay inside her for a bit longer?

“Sarah, darling, you need to calm down,” Harper told her sternly. “This baby is coming  _ now _ , and we don’t want you or him getting hurt, yes?” She didn’t enjoy being harsh with Sarah, but soothing her hadn’t worked. “Do you understand me?!”

Sarah nodded, another sob escaping her lips. “Yes!”

Harper looked between her legs and saw that the head was crowning. “Okay. Push with your next contraction.”

_ (Fuck, this is gross.) _

**_(And to think that you looked just like this!)_ **

_ (Ugh. Don't remind me.) _

The delivery went pretty well, considering. Sarah had torn a little, but Harper took care of that after she’d handed the baby boy to her. Harper was used to helping patch up her coworkers whenever the medic wasn't there. Sarah stared down at her baby with adoration. He was a bit on the small side, but he had cried loudly, so neither woman was worried about it. 

Sarah cried softly. “Welcome to the world, Steven Grant Rogers.”

Harper was floored. 

_ (I just delivered Captain fucking America?!) _

**_(No wonder the name ‘Rogers’ was familiar!)_ **

So, this confirmed it. She was in the Marvel universe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed Steve's birthday to a year before it was in canon.


	5. Make You Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: racial slurs

_( Harper's Thoughts)_

**_(Harper's_ _Hallucination)_ **

-X-

July 5, 1917

Harper held Steve while Sarah was taking a nap. The fact that she was holding the person who would one day become Captain America was still freaking her out, but she was starting to see him more as a person instead of as a larger-than-life figure. He was _so_ tiny. 

Elizabeth was curious. 

The barely one-year-old girl wouldn’t stop saying, “Hi!” and “Baby!” anytime she saw Steve. It was adorable, if Harper was being honest. 

Elizabeth kept on touching her hip, which Harper hadn’t really noticed at first. Not until Elizabeth had done it while looking at Steve. That had caught her attention. 

Harper and Sarah had also noticed that Steve was born with two soulmarks. Neither woman had ever seen anything like that before. The first mark they’d noticed was the one that said, “Hi!” on his chest, right above his heart. The second mark, they hadn’t noticed until his diaper needed to be changed. This one said, “You’re a right punk, ain’tcha?” 

Harper wasn’t sure what to make of that. She never really thought much about polyamory, but she figured that as long as the people in the relationship were happy, then what did it matter? It wasn’t anyone else’s business. 

Elizabeth touched her hip once again, and Harper couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you doing, love?” she asked.

Elizabeth giggled. “Hi!” She touched her hip again. She actually reached into her pants this time, and Harper gently removed her hand, only to earn a loud cry from the girl, which made the baby in her arms start to cry as well. 

“Okay, okay!” Harper soothed, letting go of Elizabeth’s hand, which went right back to that same spot on her hip. The touch seemed to soothe her, and in turn, Steve as well. 

_( What the fuck am I looking at?) _

**_(That's what I say every day.)_ **

Harper gently set Steve down. “Let’s change your diaper, Lizzie!” Elizabeth ran around the table away from her mother. She liked to make her chase her. “Get back here!” The little girl giggled as she continued to run. Harper quickly caught her, and she squirmed in her arms. 

She pulled down Elizabeth’s pants and moved her diaper out of the way to look at her hip. Maybe she had a rash. 

_( Oh hell.) _

It was another soulmark. 

What the hell was up with everyone getting two soulmarks in this house? She looked closer at the handwritten mark. “Lizzie!” it said. 

Everything was starting to add up. Steve’s mark. Elizabeth’s mark. Her touching it while looking at Steve. Them both getting upset and calming down at the same time. 

“Holy shit,” Harper said aloud. 

“Shi-”

“No, no,” Harper interrupted sternly. “Only mummy can curse.” She pulled Elizabeth’s pants back up. She looked back at the girl’s face, who was once again, staring at Steve. “I can’t believe you two are soulmates.”

-X-

Sarah squealed with delight when Harper told her. “We’re gonna be sister-in-laws!” 

Harper chuckled at her. “I don’t think you’re using that term correctly, darling,” she said. If Sarah could be excited about this, perhaps Harper could bring herself to be excited as well. 

-X-

August 9, 1920

Something was off with Elizabeth. 

Harper woke from a nightmare. It was a flashback of the night she died. She wanted to claw her skin off just remembering it. His hands all over her body. The way her throat opened and seeped crimson red. Her hand went to the scar on her throat. It still looked fresh. She assumed it always would. 

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Elizabeth whimper. She looked over at her, seeing that she was asleep and curled up next to Steve. Her face was twisted into pain. Harper figured she must’ve been having a nightmare. She was about to wake her up when she said something that made her blood run cold. 

“I’ll cut your heart out ‘cause you made me cry.” 

Where had Elizabeth heard that? There was no way she could have. That was one of Benny’s favorite threats to Harper. He said it nearly daily, but there wasn’t a single moment where Harper had heard it in this universe. 

Until now. 

“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!” Elizabeth said in her sleep. “I want to feel your throat between my teeth. Make you bleed like you did to me.” 

_( Make you cry like you did to me.)_

“Make you cry like you did to me.” 

Harper didn’t know what was going on, but she was properly freaked out. How had her daughter been able to say what she was thinking? She didn’t know what to do or what to think. She wanted her to stop. 

Elizabeth woke up. She opened her eyes to see her mother above her. 

“Mumma?” she asked, sounding groggy. She didn’t understand why her mother looked like she'd seen a ghost. Her face was white as a sheet. “Did you have a bad dream?” 

Harper nodded, unable to speak just yet. She cleared her suddenly dry throat. 

“Was it scary?” Elizabeth asked. She didn’t wait for Harper to reply. “I had a scary dream. This bad man was making you do things you didn’t want to, and then he cut your neck. It was scary. I didn’t like it.”

Harper swallowed a huge lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, love. That must’ve been very scary,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m okay, now.” 

“That happened to you, didn’t it?” Elizabeth asked, looking far too old in that moment. “I know it did. Sometimes I see it in your head.” 

Harper didn’t know how to respond to that. 

“But it’s okay now because that bad man isn’t here anymore. I’m here to protect you from the bad man,” Elizabeth said. She crawled over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her neck. “I love you, mumma.” 

Harper wrapped her own arms around the child. She didn’t know that she was crying. “I love you, too, sugar bear.” 

She’d never loved her baby girl more than she did now. 

-X-

June 13, 1925

Harper led a smuggling ring, now. They smuggled alcohol and ran speakeasies since the Prohibition started five years ago. She led her own ring ever since Rosenzweig kicked the bucket two years ago, and she was thriving. She, Sarah, and the children moved into a much nicer house, and they didn’t have to share with any other families. 

Speaking of the children, they were practically attached at the hip. They knew that they were soulmates, and they got along like a house on fire. They often went out in the neighborhood to play whenever they didn’t have school. They were rarely in the house before dinner. 

While Sarah would work in the tuberculosis ward at the nearby hospital during the day, Harper ran the smuggling ring at night. They had a good schedule going. 

Elizabeth’s powers grew, and Harper realized that she was a telepath. She had the ability to hear people’s thoughts if she concentrated hard enough. It also seemed that she had the same regenerative power as her mother. She had fallen off the fire escape from three stories up, and when Harper rushed to her, Elizabeth’s wounds healed right in front of her eyes. 

That had been a difficult one to explain to Sarah. Harper ended up telling her the truth about her being a mutant. She also told her the truth of how she ended up pregnant with no father of her child with her. 

Sarah had been understanding. In fact, she wasn’t surprised about her being a mutant. 

“I watched your body heal itself after you gave birth. I’ve almost always known,” she had said. 

Right now, the children were out in Central Park, playing on the new playground the government had made. They lay on the grass, looking up at the sky. They were taking a break since Steve started wheezing.

“Stevie, do you think that cloud looks like a dog?” she asked. 

“Which one?” 

Elizabeth pointed at the sky. “The one next to the one that looks like a kite.” 

“That does _not_ look like a dog!” Steve argued. “It looks like a cat!” 

“That is absolutely a dog!” Elizabeth snapped. She turned to glare at him. “Are you blind?” 

“No. I’m just saying that it is obviously a cat and not a dog,” Steve said, glaring right back at her. “I think _you_ might be blind, though. You can tell that it’s a cat because of the tail.” 

Elizabeth sat up, and so did Steve. They were both so stubborn that once they got into an argument, it was damn near impossible to get either one of them to admit that they might have been wrong. 

“No- Ow!” Elizabeth shouted as she felt someone pull on her hair from behind. She reached back and rubbed her head where her hair was yanked on. “What the hell?”

Both of them scrambled to their feet to see a red haired boy laughing obnoxiously at her. “My dad says niggers shouldn’t play with white boys,” he sneered. Elizabeth had heard people call her this word before, but she didn’t really know what it meant. That didn’t stop her from getting angry about it, though. 

“Leave her alone!” Steve shouted at the boy who pulled her hair. He also didn’t really know what that word meant, but he _hated_ seeing anyone pick on his best friend. 

“Or what?” the boy asked. He took one look at Steve and his tiny stature and brushed him off. “You gonna make me?” 

“You’re damn right I am!” Steve then tackled the boy. 

They got into a fight, kicking and hitting each other (rather weakly), and Elizabeth wanted to jump into the fray, but she was beaten by some other boy. He reached in and yanked Steve and the boy apart.

The new boy turned to the other boy. “Beat it, would ya, Tim? Ya meathead.” He shoved him away. “You’re not supposed to pick on the little ones.”

“Speak for your fucking self,” Elizabeth grumbled under her breath, not that he heard her. 

Tim backed off reluctantly, running off to a different area of the playground. Elizabeth went to Steve and helped him up. She pulled him closer to her, shooting the new boy a glare. She didn’t trust anyone else around her Stevie. She didn’t want anyone else to get close and hurt him. 

The boy didn’t seem all that bothered, though. He turned to the two of them and gave a cute smile, particularly to Steve.

“You’re a right punk, ain’tcha?” he asked. 

Elizabeth’s glare seemed to intensify, and she tightened her grip on Steve. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean, you twat?” she demanded at the exact same time as Steve spoke. 

“You got that right, jerk,” Steve said at the same time as Elizabeth, and the new boy openly gaped at them. 

He looked back and forth between the small boy and the (barely) taller girl. Both had fierce glares on their faces, and he couldn’t help but think they were both cute. The boy’s face would’ve looked cuter if he didn’t have a bruise forming on his cheek where Tim hit him. He had round blue eyes that had just a hint of green in the center, and his blond hair looked a mess, but he still looked adorable. Despite the mean look he had on his face, he could tell that he was shy.

The girl was not shy whatsoever. She had the scariest glare he had ever seen on a girl’s face before. She held the blond boy around the shoulders protectively as if she expected him to jump out at them. She had dark, curly hair, and her skin was the prettiest light brown he’d ever seen. Her light gray eyes bored into his intensely.

His mother always dreaded to find out who the girl who said _those_ words that were on his skin right about his knee was, wondering what kind of young girl would speak like that. Now he knew. 

He knew that having two soulmates was rare; his mother had told him so when she discovered the new soulmark on his wrist. He unconsciously rubbed that mark right now, still stunned that he was meeting both of his soulmates. 

He didn’t even really know what that meant. He just knew that they were important. 

“I wasn’t expecting this when I woke up today!” he said, looking at the girl, and her jaw dropped as she recognized the words written on her forearm.

Her head tilted to the side, reminding him of a curious puppy. “It’s you?” she said, her face much softer than it had been a few seconds before.

Elizabeth looked at Steve, who also seemed to realize what just happened. He hadn’t even recognized the words at first. 

“Holy cow!” he blurted out. 

The three children gawked at each other, not knowing what to do or say now. All of the fight had left Elizabeth. The longer she looked at this boy, her soulmate, the more she felt like this was _right_. She let go of Steve, her hands shoving themselves into the pockets of her dress. 

“You wanna play with us?” she asked, knowing that Steve would be too shy to ask. 

The boy gave a grin, his whole face lighting up, and Elizabeth felt her face heat up. He was _very_ pretty. 

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, going right up to them as if he’d been doing it for years. “I’m Bucky, by the way. Well, my actual name is James Buchanan Barnes, but I prefer to be called Bucky.” He held his hand out for a handshake. 

Elizabeth was the first to take his hand, imitating the way she’d seen her mother shake hands. “I’m Lizzie Kingsley,” she introduced. A shock went up her arm when they touched, and she yelped. “You shocked me!” 

Bucky looked sheepish. “Sorry.” He looked at Steve, who seemed to be struggling to speak. Elizabeth looked at him with concern written on her face. “What’s your name?” Bucky asked. 

“Steve Rogers,” Steve bit out, looking down at his shoes as he blushed. 

Bucky gave another one of his pretty smiles. “Well, Steve and Lizzie, you wanna go on the seesaw?” he asked. 

Elizabeth immediately set a glare on him. “Only two people can go on the seesaw, Bucky,” she said matter-of-factly. 

“I know that,” Bucky said with a shrug. “We can take turns.”

Steve looked back up from the ground. “Okay. That sounds fun.” 

They continued to play until the sun was low in the sky. 

-X-

After the three of them went home (it turned out that Bucky lived on the same street as them), Elizabeth asked her mother a question. 

“What does nigger mean?” 

Harper froze in the middle of putting lipstick on. She had been expecting this conversation for a few years, but it didn’t stop her from dreading it. She finished lining her lips before capping the lipstick. She turned to her daughter and looked at her seriously. 

“That word is a very bad word, Lizzie,” Harper told her. “It’s a derogatory word meant to make certain people feel bad.”

“What do you mean by certain people?” Elizabeth asked. 

“You know how your skin is darker than mine?”

“Yeah.” 

“Well, some people think that’s a bad thing,” Harper said. 

“That I have darker skin than you?” Elizabeth asked. This wasn’t making any sense to her. Why would someone not like her just because her skin wasn’t the same shade? “That’s dumb.” 

“Yes, it is,” Harper agreed wholeheartedly. “Some people, usually people with light skin like mine, even think that people with darker skin shouldn’t exist.” She pulled her daughter into a hug. She wished she didn’t have to have this conversation. “Some people might want to hurt you because of that, but you can’t let them. You have to be the bigger person.” She kneeled in front of her. “Don’t let anyone _ever_ make you feel bad for being different.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth said. She still didn’t completely understand, but she also did at the same time. “Are you talking about my skin or my telepathy?” 

Harper chuckled. 

_( She's too smart for her own good.) _

Elizabeth heard that. “You think I’m too smart?” she asked. 

Harper gave her a stern glare. “What did I say about reading people’s thoughts without their permission?” 

“Not to do it,” Elizabeth said, looking down from being scolded. 

“I didn’t mean that you’re too smart,” Harper explained. “It’s an expression. I’ve told you about those.” 

“Yeah, like water under the bridge.” 

“Exactly. I just meant that one of these days you’re going to learn something you wish you hadn’t,” Harper said. She thought back to when Elizabeth saw her memory of her last night with Benny. “Just be careful, love. Sometimes people fear what they don’t understand, and I don’t want you to get hurt because of that.” 

“Okay,” Elizabeth said, nodding. “I’ll be careful, mumma. I promise.” 

Harper stood up and pressed a kiss to the top of Elizabeth’s curls. “Thank you, love. Now, it’s time for bed.”


	6. Like a Virgin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sexual content, racial slurs

_( Harper's Thoughts)_

**_(Harper's_ ** _**Hallucination)** _

_{Elizabeth Reading Other People's Thoughts}_

**_{Elizabeth Projecting Her Thoughts}_ **

-X-

May 1, 1930

The children were talking about the small crushes and experiences they had at that point in the evening. Of course, Bucky was the one with the most experience, not that it was a lot. 

“I’ve kissed a few girls,” Bucky said with a shrug like it was no big deal. “They were okay.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. “Just okay? Not amazing or _magical?_ ” She was teasing him now, and his cheeks flamed as he glared. 

“It’s not like you would know,” he snapped, and she giggled at how easy it was to rile him up. 

“Oh, I think I do,” she said. 

“Who’d you kiss?” he demanded. If Steve didn’t know any better, he’d say that Bucky sounded jealous. 

Elizabeth bit her lip as she debated whether to tell them or not before she decided to hell with it. “Tommy from history,” she said, and Bucky scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Tommy? Who the hell is Tommy?” 

“You wouldn’t know him. He’s in my history class,” Elizabeth insisted, angry that he would assume she was lying.

“I think you’re making him up,” Bucky said, smirking at her. Now _he_ was the one riling her up. Steve just watched the back and forth banter-soon-to-be-argument, shaking his head at his friends’ bickering. 

“I’m not making it up! I swear! We even used tongue! It was a French kiss!”

“Why don’t you prove it?” 

“Fine! I’ll-” She was about to suggest she get them to meet Tommy when another idea came to her, and it was a wicked idea. She smirked, and the devious look in her eyes made both boys a little wary. 

“What-”

Bucky didn’t get to finish what he was about to say because Elizabeth suddenly pulled him close and started kissing him. 

Steve watched with bulged out eyes as Bucky clumsily kissed her back. He didn’t know what to do as his two friends awkwardly collided tongues for a few more seconds before Elizabeth finally backed off. 

“Told you!”

Bucky had an unreadable look on his face as he tried to steady his suddenly pounding heart. His eyes moved to her lips, looking a little more plump than usual, and he swallowed thickly. He always thought that she was pretty, but something about her right now made her look absolutely gorgeous. 

See, the truth was, he’d never kissed anyone. He just wanted to see how his soulmates would react if they thought he’d kissed other people, and boy, they didn’t disappoint. 

Elizabeth either didn’t notice the way she affected him or she ignored it as she looked at Steve, who was still recovering from shock. 

“What about you, Stevie?” she asked. 

His eyes managed to get even wider somehow. “W-What?” he asked, stuttering like an idiot. He wasn’t sure if she was asking if he wanted her to kiss him now or what. 

She rolled her eyes. “Have you kissed anyone yet?” 

“Oh!” Steve’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, looking down at his hands in his lap. “Um...no. I haven’t.”

Bucky and Elizabeth exchanged glances, silently agreeing. 

“Well, that’s a surprise,” Bucky said. “You’re just so damn cute. Who _wouldn’t_ want to kiss you?”

“Idiots,” Elizabeth supplied. 

Steve’s flush spread to his neck, and his friends were sure that it went all over his body as well. “Shuddup,” he grumbled. 

“Well, it’s true,” Bucky said. 

Steve gave a sad smile. “Most people wouldn’t agree with you.” Elizabeth’s smile faded at the reminder that some people believed that people with medical issues like Steve shouldn’t reproduce or even live. It angered her when she heard the whispers that followed him, and she often ‘took care of them’ whenever he wasn’t looking.

“It’s a good thing we’re not most people.”

And then Bucky kissed him. 

It was a soft kiss, and no tongue was involved, but Steve couldn’t help but melt. The three friends had always been very close, probably a little too close. That tended to happen when your soulmates were also your best friends. 

The kiss ended, and the boys looked at each other, both blushing, and Elizabeth giggled. They both looked at her with wide eyes as she continued to laugh.

“You two are so cute,” she said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She leaned toward Steve, and Bucky moved out of her way. “My turn.” Steve’s face was so red that he resembled a tomato as Elizabeth placed her lips against his, closing her eyes.

Bucky watched his two closest friends kiss, and it felt right, like the three of them were made for each other. Elizabeth smiled as she pulled back and pressed a light kiss on Steve’s cheek. 

“So, my birthday’s in a few days,” Elizabeth suddenly said, pulling completely away from Steve. Her attitude did such a complete 180° that it threw both boys for a loop. “Have you gotten me a gift yet?” 

Steve looked at her like she was insane. Of course, he’d already gotten her a gift. He’d been working on it for weeks. He drew her. He knew how much she liked his drawings, so he thought that she would like one of her. He never thought his drawings were any good, but Elizabeth always insisted that they were good. 

“Yeah.”

Elizabeth gave a smirk. “Well, I’ve got a good idea for one if you haven’t yet,” she said, giving a mischievous wink. Bucky understood then. 

He gave one of those beautiful smiles that never failed to knock the breath from Elizabeth’s lungs. “You little minx,” he commented before leaning in and giving her a peck on the lips. 

-X-

Elizabeth giggled at something Steve said as they walked back into their house. It was late, much later than they normally came home. In fact, it was nearly midnight. The house was covered in darkness, showing that anyone in the house was asleep. 

“Shh,” Steve whispered. “We need to be quiet before ma wakes up.” 

The lights suddenly flipped on, showing Harper sitting in an armchair with a glass of bourbon in her hand. “Too late,” she said. She took a sip of her drink. “Have a fun night, children?” She wasn’t pleased, both of them could tell. 

“Mum-” 

“Bed,” Harper said, interrupting whatever excuse Elizabeth was going to give her. “Now.” 

They both looked down at the floor in shame. “Yes, ma’am.”

Harper watched them both go up the stairs before she let out a loud sigh. She knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. She’d just hoped that it would’ve been later. She’d have a talk with Sarah in the morning, ask her to have the sex talk with Steve soon. Elizabeth had already had the period talk two years ago, but Harper hadn’t gone into the details of sex then. 

**_(Have fun with that conversation tomorrow!)_ **

She downed the rest of her bourbon. She needed it right now. 

-X-

May 2, 1930

Harper spoke with Sarah over their morning cups of coffee. “They’re attracted to each other, all three of them,” Harper said, her voice barely above a whisper to avoid any unwanted ears hearing them. “I think it’s time to have the sex talk with them.” 

Sarah nodded, taking a sip of her black coffee. Harper preferred hers with cream and sugar. “I’ll talk to Steve,” she offered. 

“I’m taking Lizzie out shopping for her birthday present. You can talk to him then,” Harper said. 

Sarah groaned, dropping her head onto the table top. “I’ve been dreading this since he was born,” she whined. 

Harper glanced at her with amused eyes. “Every parent does,” she replied, taking another sip of her coffee. She always preferred coffee over tea. 

Sarah picked her head back up. “They’re growing too fast. I swear it feels like they were just born yesterday,” she said, looking at Harper with desperate eyes. 

“I know. One day, you’ve got them on your hip, next they’re fucking smacking each other with nailed boards,” Harper said. The kids liked to go to block fights. Block fights were when the Irish kids who lived on one block would get together with the Russian kids on the next block into one big mob of ethnic violence and beat the living shit out of each other. One time, Steve tore a post out of a fence and used it on a Dutch kid who’d called Bucky a Mick. He had smacked him in the head with the part of the board where the nails stuck out. It wasn’t good.

“What was that?” Steve asked, walking into the kitchen with Bucky and Elizabeth not far behind him. 

“Nothing!” Harper exclaimed quickly. She turned to see the three of them. She wondered if they were doing things yet. 

_( Gross. Don’t think about that.)_

_**(Unless you want to torture yourself. Then I’m all ears.)** _

Elizabeth flinched. She hated that voice in her mother’s head. It felt unnatural, and she wished her mother didn’t have to deal with it. She tried to not listen to it, but the voice was so loud that she had no other choice but to listen to it. Harper didn’t know that she could hear it nearly all of the time, and she had no plan on telling her anytime soon. She didn’t want to worry her mother.

Harper looked at Elizabeth. “I’m taking you shopping today, Lizzie,” she told her. “So I want you back by noon.” 

Bucky nodded. “That works out well, actually. My ma needs me back home by then,” he said. 

Steve wouldn’t have anyone to hang out with, so he’d go home then as well. 

-X-

Elizabeth picked out a pretty dress at the shop, and now she and her mother were having lunch. Harper didn’t know how to bring up the conversation delicately, so she decided to blurt it out. 

“Have you had sex yet?” 

Elizabeth blinked. She hadn’t been expecting that question. She knew the basics of sex and what it was supposed to do, but that was about it. She placed her fork down. 

“No, I haven’t,” she admitted. She was still a virgin. She was only thirteen years old, for fuck’s sake. She hesitated. “I did have a few kisses, though.” 

Harper wasn’t sure if she should’ve been surprised or not. “Oh?” she said, acting like she was surprised. “Who’d you kiss?” 

“Tommy from history,” Elizabeth said. Her face heated up as she mumbled something else under her breath that Harper didn’t catch.

“What?” 

“Bucky and Steve, too,” Elizabeth repeated a little louder. “A couple of times actually. Yesterday.” She looked to the side at nothing as she remembered how those kisses had made her feel safe. 

Harper hummed. “I see,” she said. She needed to make sure her daughter was prepared, then. She started giving her the sex talk. She had to force herself not to laugh upon seeing the horrified and stunned look on Elizabeth’s face. They continued to talk as they walked home. 

“You have to use condoms,” Harper insisted, fixing her daughter with a stern glare. “I don’t want you knocked up at fifteen like I was.”

Elizabeth nodded quickly. She was afraid to speak and make her mother think of something else to say. She was mortified, but this was a good lesson to have. She would learn from her mother’s mistakes. 

-X-

August 30, 1932

“Look how small that boy is!”

“What a waste of space.” 

“What is that nigger doing with him?”

“They’re both burdens on this society.” 

Steve clenched his jaw tight as he and Elizabeth walked along the street, trying to mind their own business. Ever since the International Eugenics Conference happened in the city, Steve had been getting more trouble from ignorant people, and it infuriated Elizabeth. 

Steve would never admit it, but hearing their opinions on how he was ‘unfit for life’ and should be ‘forcibly sterilized’ was upsetting him more than he let on. Elizabeth admired him for it, though. He had so much inner strength. All he wanted to do was stand up for others, so they wouldn’t be treated like he was. 

He deserved the world and more. 

She leaned closer to him as they walked past a group of gawking white boys. “You want me to take care of them?” she asked, malice in her eyes as she glared at them. He knew what she meant by that and shook his blond head. 

“No, let them whisper,” he said softly, so only she could hear. “I don’t care what they’ve got to say because they’re wrong.”

Elizabeth automatically took his hand, ignoring the sudden influx of shocked and outraged thoughts heading her way. 

“Damn right, they’re wrong,” she said, and he squeezed her hand in appreciation. The only reason why he was able to keep his head high with the sudden rise in bullying was because of Elizabeth. She liked to downplay it a lot, but she was brave in the face of the white supremacists, and she never took their bullshit. If she could deal with that, then so could he.

“I’m glad you’re my friend,” he said, and she smiled, practically sending his head spinning. 

“I’m glad, too.”

-X-

July 4, 1933

The trio was going to Coney Island for Steve’s birthday. Everyone else was going because it was the Fourth of July, but they were going for their Stevie. He grinned brightly as he and Bucky munched on some cotton candy. Cotton candy was Steve’s favorite sweet snack. Elizabeth thought it was too sweet. 

Bucky wanted to go on the Cyclone, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He rushed Steve to finish his cotton candy, which was why he was also eating some. He suggested Elizabeth should have some to hurry it up, but she shook her head. 

They got in the line to ride the Cyclone, and Elizabeth looked between her boys. “Stevie, you’re gonna get sick,” she said. 

“What makes you think that?” Bucky asked. 

“Because he got sick the last time,” Elizabeth replied, shoving her hands into the pockets of her (Bucky’s) jacket. She looked back at Steve. “We don’t have to go, if you don’t want to.” 

“Eh, he can handle it,” Bucky said, his arm looping around Steve’s neck. He started to give him a noogie, which Steve did _not_ appreciate. 

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the fond smile on her lips. Steve elbowed Bucky in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He had bony elbows. The line moved, and she grabbed both of them, pulling them with her. She developed the same strength her mother had within the last year. She nearly panicked when she literally ripped the doorknob off of the bathroom door the first time. 

The trio was strapped into their seats for the rollercoaster, and Elizabeth could tell that Steve was nervous. She looked at him, and he sensed her gaze on him. He sent her a reassuring smile, and she gave him one in return. 

The ride started then, and Elizabeth couldn’t hold back her laughter when Bucky screamed like a little girl. The ride ended quickly, and Steve stumbled out. 

“Oh god,” was the only warning they got before Steve’s stomach contents ended up all over the sidewalk with a comically loud, “blergh.”

Bucky looked a moment away from having a clogged artery from all of his laughing. Elizabeth had to screw up her mouth to keep the snickers down. She went to Steve, making sure to stay out of the range of the backsplash. She rubbed his back. 

“You good?” she asked once he was done. He nodded as he straightened up, his cheeks red. 

“Yeah,” he said. “You got a mint?” 

Elizabeth laughed as she reached into her pocket. “Of course I do.” She handed him the packet, and he took three mints, popping them into his mouth. 

-X-

The three of them squeezed into a seat on the ferris wheel. The fireworks were going to start soon, and they thought that it would be cool to watch them go off while on the ferris wheel. Elizabeth sat in between her boys. She looked up at the night sky, waiting for the other people to be seated. 

She felt Bucky take her hand, and she looked at him with a goofy smile. She loved being with her boys. She didn’t care that other people wouldn’t approve of their relationship. It felt right. 

She squeezed his hand as she projected into his mind. She’d been practicing. 

_**{I want to surprise Steve when we get back home. I think we should go all the way tonight.}** _

The three of them had been experimenting with fooling around the last few months. The making out had been enough for a while, but the more they kissed, the more bold they became. 

Bucky had long grown used to Elizabeth’s voice in his head. In fact, he loved hearing it. He glanced at Steve, who was busy staring down at the ground. 

_{He won’t be expecting it.}_

_**{Exactly. I know that I’m ready, but I want to make sure you are as well.}** _

An image flashed through Bucky’s mind into hers. It was of her spread out on the bed, naked and wet. She inhaled sharply, not having expected that. 

_**{I’m ready.}** _

Elizabeth opened her eyes, not having realized that she’d closed them and looked at Bucky. He had a smirk on his lips before he schooled his features into one of concern. 

“Are you okay, Lizzie?” Steve asked, looking at her with concern as well. “Your face is red.” 

She cleared her throat, shooting Bucky a quick glare. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, giving Steve a smile. “It just got really warm.” 

Just then, the fireworks went off. Elizabeth was thankful for the distraction as the three of them looked at the lights. The ferris wheel started, meaning that the last people were on the ride. Elizabeth took Steve’s hand in her empty one and leaned against his shoulder. She could stay like this forever - between her boys, looking up at the stars. 

-X-

Sarah had been disappointed that she had to work on the night of Steve’s birthday, but perhaps that was for the best. 

“Happy birthday, Stevie,” Bucky whispered into Steve’s ear from behind, making him shiver. Elizabeth gave a smile at the adorable blush on Steve’s cheeks. She pressed her body up against his and let her fingers clench on the front of his button-down shirt. 

“We’re gonna take real good care of you, honey,” she murmured, brushing her lips against his but pulling back when he tried to kiss her. “Are you okay with that?”

Steve didn’t hesitate in answering. “Damn right, I am,” he said, and he kissed her. She moaned when his tongue rolled over hers. Her fingers plucked the buttons of his shirt slowly until they were all open. She suddenly remembered the tie he was wearing and started to untie it, but it was really tight, and she was too distracted by his lips.

She pulled away from the kiss, letting them both breathe, and she saw that Bucky was working on peppering kisses on the skin that was exposed above the collar of Steve’s shirt. 

Elizabeth bit her lip as she focused more on the tie, loosening it. She managed to get it, and she started pulling it up over his head, but it didn’t want to go past his forehead, and she gave a grin. 

“Can we just leave it like this?” she asked. Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment. He looked around and noticed the tie around Steve’s head, and he laughed. 

“Guys…” Steve sighed, but it sounded more like a whine. 

Elizabeth loosened the knot more and pulled it off of Steve’s head. “Only kidding, Killer,” she teased, using the nickname that she picked for him since he had a habit of picking fights. She reached up and threaded her fingers through his soft hair. Her lips barely brushed the shell of his ear, and he swallowed hard. “But I know something that will make you feel better.” 

She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she started to get down on her knees, her face right in front of his crotch. Steve’s breath hitched in excitement when he realized what she was going to do. 

Bucky turned his head to the side and brushed his lips against his. Steve didn’t hesitate to open up to him and groaned as Bucky massaged his tongue with his own. 

Elizabeth unbuttoned Steve’s pants and unzipped them. She looked up to see Steve occupied with Bucky, and she smiled, watching her boys. She would never get tired of watching them. She let Steve’s pants fall around his ankles as she let go of them and reached for the buttons on her dress. 

She didn’t take her eyes off of them as her fingers worked on the buttons on her chest. She let the dress fall to her waist, and she reached out for the tent in Steve’s boxers. She stroked his erection through the fabric and watched as Steve gasped in a breath as he pulled away from Bucky. 

She froze for a moment, and so did Bucky. Neither one of them wanted Steve to have an asthma attack. 

“Steve, are you all right?” Elizabeth asked, the worry evident in her voice. 

Steve’s gaze moved to her, a gorgeous flush covering his cheeks. He nodded, his lips parted as his eyes roamed over her. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

Elizabeth could tell by the look in his eyes that he was okay, so she smiled, her tongue peeking out between her teeth. “Good,” she said, as her hand tugged down his boxers, letting his cock spring free. 

Her gaze moved to it, and she licked her lips, causing both of them to groan at the downright sinful look on her face. She brought her fingertips to her lips and sucked them into her mouth for a few seconds before reaching out and grasping Steve’s cock, making him shudder from the feeling. 

She put more pressure around the shaft as she started to stroke him, watching with apt attention as the skin moved with her hand. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to taste him. Her eyes flickered up to watch Steve’s face as she took the head in between her lips. She would’ve smiled at the sinful groan that fell from his lips if her mouth wasn’t occupied. 

She had always loved doing this for her boys, especially Steve. In fact, he was the first person she’d ever done this for, mostly because he was smaller than Bucky, not that Elizabeth minded. It made it easier for her to get used to, and now she absolutely loved it. 

She swirled her tongue around his slit, and Steve’s fingers wound through her wild curls, her name falling from his lips like a prayer. She took more of his cock into her mouth and hollowed her cheeks around him. 

She could hear Bucky talking lowly to Steve, and his words sent heat right through her body and straight to her cunt. “Mhm, our girl looks beautiful, doesn’t she, Stevie?” He noticed the flush on Elizabeth’s face at his words and smirked. “I think she likes being called that. Because that’s what she is. She’s our girl. Our girl looks so good sucking your cock. You like watching her get down on her knees for you, Stevie?”

Steve let out another groan, feeling absolutely intoxicated as he felt the head of his cock enter the back of her throat. He didn’t look away from Elizabeth’s gorgeous gray eyes as she looked up at him eagerly. 

“Yeah, our girl does look good, Buck,” Steve replied, his hips jerking into Elizabeth’s mouth slightly. “But I think this sight would be better if you were down there with her.” 

Bucky smiled at the suggestion. “You think so, punk?” 

“I know so, jerk,” Steve replied, his breaths coming out in light pants as Elizabeth swallowed around him again. 

Bucky moved Steve’s face up and gave him a kiss, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth for a moment before letting go. “Anything for the birthday boy,” Bucky whispered, and Elizabeth gave a moan around Steve’s cock, which made Steve groan from the vibrations. “I think she likes that idea. Don’t you, sweetheart?” 

Elizabeth shot him a cheeky wink as she let the head of Steve’s cock fall from her swollen lips with a pop, but her fingers continued to stroke the shaft. She gave a sickeningly sweet smile. “Oh, baby, you know I do,” she purred. 

Bucky, still dressed, kneeled down next to her and couldn’t stop himself as he kissed her hard. Elizabeth moaned and opened her lips to him as Bucky’s hands went to the cups of her bra and pulled them down below her breasts. Steve watched with dilated eyes as their tongues rolled over each other, and it was easily the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. 

Bucky then pulled away from the kiss, and he turned to Steve again, giving a wicked grin and a wink. Then he leaned forward and plunged Steve’s cock into his mouth like it was nothing. Elizabeth hummed and reached up to her breasts, playing with her nipples, hardened from arousal. She licked her lips and just watched as Bucky sucked Steve’s cock with an almost frantic air. 

She leaned forward and went in from under, sucking Steve’s balls into her mouth and slipping a finger, wet from her slick, between his legs to stroke his taint, which really got a reaction out of him. His hips jerked forward, pushing his cock further into Bucky’s mouth, causing him to groan around Steve’s cock.

Elizabeth continued to stroke Steve’s taint and moved her head up next to Bucky’s as he pulled back a little, so only the head was between his lips. Elizabeth licked along the shaft, and Bucky copied her on the other side, the tips of their tongues rolling over each other every few seconds. 

Steve called both of their names, his face scrunched up in concentration as he tried not to come. He felt like he was drowning in pleasure from both of his lovers working his cock so well. “I’m close,” he warned. 

Bucky and Elizabeth paused and smirked at each other before looking up at Steve with sinful eyes. “Whose mouth do you want to come in, baby?” Elizabeth asked. 

Steve was shocked at the question, so he couldn’t help but blurt out, “What?” 

Bucky gave a grin as his fingers slid over his slit. “Whose mouth do you want to come in? Mine? Or Lizzie’s? Your choice. ‘Course, we could just skip that part and move on, if you’d prefer. It’s your choice, Stevie.”

Steve pondered for a few moments, looking back and forth between them. “I think I want to move on,” he said. 

Elizabeth’s eyes blazed with lust. “How do you want us, Killer?” 

Steve’s eyes seemed to darken, and Elizabeth felt herself shiver at the heated look he was giving her. “I want you beneath Bucky, and I want behind Bucky.” 

Bucky was slightly surprised that Steve didn’t want to be in the middle, but he wasn’t upset by it. He wanted whatever Steve wanted. 

Bucky smiled and stood. “Then let’s get started. In the bedroom,” he said. Elizabeth stood as well, letting her dress stay on the floor as she stood in just her undergarments. She adjusted the bra cups so they were covering her breasts again, and Bucky pouted, making her laugh at him. 

“It’ll be off in a moment,” she chastised. She took Steve by the hand, and Bucky took his other one as they led him to the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind them, and hands started wandering almost immediately. 

Both boys ganged up on Elizabeth with Bucky behind her and Steve in front. She shivered when she felt Bucky’s fingers ghost over her back and unclasp her bra. His lips sucked on the spot behind her ear that he knew turned her to putty in his hands. 

Steve crouched down in front of her, a smirk playing on his lips at how he was going to pay her back for how well she treated him. 

His fingers slipped between her thighs and hooked into the side of her underwear, slowly pulling them down. The fabric pooled around her feet, and his gaze moved to her cunt. It might be considered indecent in their society, but he loved it when she groomed so there was only a thin strip of hair above. 

His gaze slid back up to her face to see her biting her lip in anticipation as she watched him. She didn’t dare blink as she watched his tongue slip out and swipe up her lips. Her head fell back as she moaned when he licked her clit. 

Bucky’s hand slipped to the back of her neck as he leaned down to kiss her, open mouthed and filthy. His kiss swallowed her moans as Steve began sucking on her clit. 

Elizabeth reached for Bucky and felt the light dusting of hair that she adored on his now bare chest. She let her hand slowly slide down his abdomen, smirking when his breath hitched as her fingers brushed his erection. 

She unbuttoned his pants and shoved them down along with his underwear before taking his cock in her hand with a tight grip. He moaned into her mouth as she started to jerk him off.

She ran her thumb over the tip lightly, and his hips bucked, making her smirk into their kiss. She did it again, and he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. 

“C’mon, Lizzie, baby. Don’t tease, please,” he whined, and she smiled at how cute he sounded. She had him wrapped around her finger, and they both knew it.

“Well, since you asked so nicely…” She moved her thumb to the shaft underneath the foreskin and tightened her grip.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he murmured. 

Elizabeth was about to reply when Steve inserted two fingers inside her, effectively distracting her. She looked down at him, and he shot her a wink before adding another finger, stretching her out. She moaned as he worked them inside her. She needed to be stretched out as much as possible. She hummed as she felt his tongue lap at her clit. He closed his lips around her clit, and he sucked hard while his fingers reached that spot inside her that made her see stars. Her world stuttered on its axis as she came. Her hand on Bucky’s cock faltered as her eyes slipped closed, and she couldn’t stop the moans from escaping her throat. 

Her chest heaved as she came down from her high. Steve gently lapped at her clit, slowing down a little at a time as she calmed down. She looked down at Steve, giving him a dopey grin. 

“Fucking christ,” she breathed, a chuckle coming out. She brought her hand down on Steve’s head and moved his hair out of his eyes. “You are _so_ pretty.” She watched in delight as his cheeks flushed from the compliment. She loved making him blush. She tried to whenever she could. “Let’s move this to the bed, shall we?” 

Steve nodded as he gave her clit one last suck, making her cry out from oversensitivity. He moved back and stood up. They moved to the bed. Elizabeth climbed onto it in the middle. She leaned back against the pillows as she watched her boys undress each other. 

Bucky groaned as his tongue pressed against Steve’s. “Fuck, Lizzie,” he said. “I can taste you on Stevie’s lips.” He kissed Steve again. “You taste so good.” Elizabeth didn’t know if he was talking to her or Steve. Probably both. He pulled his pants off completely and headed for the bed. “Can I taste you, Lizzie?” 

She nodded quickly, her eagerness not hard to miss. He kneeled between her legs, pushing them apart. He stared at her dripping pussy. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet, doll,” Bucky purred. He framed her with his fingers. “Looks like Steve did a number on you.” He looked up at her through thick eyelashes, and she couldn’t believe how gorgeous he was. “Think he’ll do the same for me?” 

He didn’t give her a chance to reply as he dove between her thighs. She cried out as he shoved his tongue in her pussy. She looked up at Steve, watching as he coated his fingers with lube. She smirked as he moved in behind Bucky, warning him as his thighs met Bucky’s ass. She felt more than heard him sigh against her as Steve’s fingers started playing with his asshole. 

She looked back down at Bucky. His eyes were shut. “Are you excited?” she asked quietly, teasing him. “I bet you can’t wait for his cock inside you.” She grinned as his face flushed at that, and he moaned against her. She glanced back up to see that Steve had a smirk on his face. He must have his finger inside of him. “I know he’s just as eager. I wish you could see his face, Bucky. He’s so desperate to fuck you.” 

He pulled away from her pussy, giving her a half-hearted glare. “If you’re gonna tease me, then I won’t eat you out,” he threatened. 

She smiled down at him. “But you love being teased,” she said. Her fingers slid into his hair, and she loved the feel of his soft waves. “Besides, you do it so much, I figured that it was time for you to get a taste of your own medicine.” She gently pushed his head back down between her thighs, and he took the hint. This time, he sucked her clit into his mouth, and she keened, her fingers tightening in his hair. He moaned back as Steve filled him with another finger. 

Elizabeth was getting close again. She leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the dual sensations of Bucky sucking on her clit and inserting a finger in her sopping cunt. 

“Jamie, I’m gonna fucking-” 

With that, he pulled away from her. Her eyes shot open, and she glared at him. “What do you think you’re-”

“I’m just giving you your medicine, doll,” he replied, a smirk on his lips. She nearly exploded, but he put his finger in his mouth, sucking her cum away. “You taste so good.” He sat up on his knees and crawled up her body. 

Her breath hitched as she felt his cock brush against her clit. She looked up at him with large eyes, silently begging him to fuck her. Bucky smirked as he looked back at Steve. 

“You mind grabbing me a condom?” he asked. “I think our girl is eager.” 

She licked her lips as she watched him take the condom from Steve and roll it on. She watched Steve get on the bed behind Bucky, and she couldn’t wait for what was going to happen next. She looked back up at Bucky. 

“Come down here, Jamie,” she said softly. “I need you.” 

“You need me?” he repeated, but he didn’t disobey her. He brought his body on top of hers, careful not to crush her as he placed his hands on the bed above her shoulders. 

“I do,” she admitted. She always would. She wanted to feel him close to her. “Come a bit closer. You won’t hurt me.” His bare chest pressed against hers, and she moaned. The feeling of his chest hair was different, but she loved it anyway. The head of his cock slid against her opening, and she bit her lip. “Please.” 

He looked deep into her eyes as she lined him up, and he gently pushed into her. They both moaned as he slowly sunk into her. Her slick walls accepted him easily, and they both groaned as he bottomed out inside her. She linked her fingers into his soft hair and pulled him down a little to kiss him as she let her body adjust. She had been prepared enough that it didn’t hurt too much. 

Bucky inhaled a sharp breath through his nose as Steve’s lubed up cock pressed against his ass. Elizabeth continued to kiss Bucky in order to distract him as Steve slowly sunk into him. 

“Oh fuck,” Bucky groaned against her mouth. The feeling of Steve’s cock stretching him felt divine. Steve breathed heavily as he carefully buried himself inside of Bucky.

They all paused, waiting for their bodies to get used to being full. Elizabeth grinned up at Bucky. “You know what? I really wish I ate that hot dog earlier,” she said, earning an odd look from him. 

“Didn’t you just have one?” he asked, earning a small laugh from Steve. 

“I meant like one you eat, fool,” Elizabeth said. 

“Oh, you ate it all right,” Steve replied. This made Bucky laugh loudly, and they all relaxed. Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the smile from forming on her lips. 

“Just shut up and fuck me already,” she snapped. There wasn’t really any bite to her words, but she was getting impatient. 

She reached down and grabbed him by the hip, pulling his hips down hard into her. She didn’t know that it was possible for him to get any deeper, yet he somehow managed it. Her fingers dug into his skin as she forced his hips to move back and then forward, setting a rhythm. Steve quickly followed the rhythm. Every time Bucky pushed into her, he pulled out. Every time Steve pushed into Bucky, he pulled out of Elizabeth. 

She groaned as Bucky picked up the pace, his hips snapping against her. She pulled her legs apart even more, sending his cock deeper into her. She moaned as the tip of his cock hit that spot inside of her that made her body sing. He moaned with her as Steve pounded into him. 

Bucky’s cock pulsed inside of Elizabeth, and he knew that he was close. The dual sensations of her tight, wet pussy around his cock and the cock inside of him was nearly too much. He lost his rhythm as he slammed into her, fire pooling inside of him. He suddenly stopped, going tense as he came inside of her. 

Elizabeth moaned as she felt his heat flood inside of her, and she wished he didn’t have that condom on, so she could feel it all. He fell on top of her, taking in deep breaths as he came down from his high. 

Steve carefully pulled out of him, still hard. 

Elizabeth carded her fingers through Bucky’s hair, whispering words of encouragement of what a wonderful job he’d done. “You were such a good boy, taking Stevie’s cock like that,” she told him. “We both love you so much.” 

Bucky gently pulled out of her pussy, groaning at the loss of her heat. He rolled over and took the condom off, tying it off. He got up to get rid of it. 

Elizabeth looked up at Steve, realizing that they were still left unsatisfied. She noticed that he was starting to wheeze a little. She moved over. “Why don’t you come lie down, Killer? I want to be on top,” she said. 

He wouldn’t deny her. He plopped down next to her and moved onto his back. 

Elizabeth looked up as Bucky came back into the room. “Can you hand me a condom, Jamie?” she asked. He did as he was asked with a knowing smirk. 

“Just wait for it, punk,” he said. “Our girl feels so good.” 

She flushed as he called her that again. She never realized how much she liked it until tonight. She took the condom and rolled it onto Steve’s member before she climbed on top of him. She lined his cock up with her entrance and sunk down onto him. 

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Steve muttered. 

“See? Told you,” Bucky replied, a shit eating grin on his face. He laid down next to Steve, his underwear back on. 

Elizabeth smirked before she started to ride Steve. Both of her boys watched her breasts bounce as she set a fast rhythm. She wanted to come soon. 

She rolled her hips on top of Steve’s, changing it up as her thighs started to ache a little. She leaned down on top of him and kissed him. Their tongues pressed together as his hands shoved her hips against his. He set a rhythm, and he panted against her lips. 

“Lizzie…” he groaned. “I’m gonna come.”

Elizabeth sat back up, riding him again. “I’m close,” she whispered. Bucky leaned forward and pressed a thumb against her clit. He stroked it, and she cried out at the dual sensation of Steve’s cock against her G-spot and Bucky’s finger on her clit. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck. Yes, right there.” 

Their hips ground together, and she felt his cock throbbing. 

Her world shattered, and time seemed to slow as her orgasm came. Her eyes clenched shut as she gyrated even harder, and her cunt clenched around Steve’s cock. 

He shouted unintentionally as he came, dissolving into his pleasure as he did so. He loved her. “Lizzie!” He was out of breath as he opened his eyes to look up at Elizabeth, who was also breathing hard. She looked down at him with complete adoration. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered, feeling like if she spoke any louder, she’d break the world. 

Steve flushed as he realized that he said that out loud. She giggled as she traced her finger along his sweat-soaked abdomen. Her smile faded. 

“Thank you,” she said, looking at both of her boys. 

“What for?” Bucky asked since Steve couldn’t bring himself to speak. 

“Loving me,” she replied. She pulled Steve’s softening cock out of her with a wince and lay down on his other side. She curled into Steve, her arm wrapping around his waist. This was the best night of her life.


End file.
